


Whose Child Is This?

by silveradept



Category: Brave (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-16 20:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept
Summary: The triplets want the answer to a very important question. All of the people they talk to have a definitive answer to the question. None of them agree.





	Whose Child Is This?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Missy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/gifts).



"She's so much like her mother," Fergus said, one of the triplets hurrying to keep up with his speed.

"Not in spite of her wild streak," he said, shaking his head. "Because of it. Your mother seems like a proper lady, with all the things that she does now to keep the household and the alliance running, but she was not like that when I wooed her. She could shoot the flies off a horse faster than it could swat them with its tail when she was younger. I would find out later it was because she spent so much time outside shooting her anger out that she got rather good at it. She was hoping that her daughter wouldn't turn out to have the same temper, but no such luck, lad! She was born to two very dynamic people, so I guess it was inevitable that she would turn out to have the best qualities of both of us."

At the triplet's skeptical expression, Fergus laughed and continued.

"Your mother, Elinor, was a fierce woman, who wouldn't accept that it was destiny for us to be together. She was much more interested in horses and archery and learning how to fight and wrestle than she was about running a household, taking care of the cooking and cleaning. It's what drew me to her.

At the time, I thought the best woman to have would be one that could ride with me, and fight in battles and make war decisions. It was only after we were done uniting everyone that I realized part of having a kingdom is running it after all the fun is done."

Fergus shrugged.

"To be honest, I never did learn how your mother got those skills, but I'm very glad she had them, and that she's trying, in her own way, to teach Merida the same things. Merida will be a great ruler, wherever that turns out to be. I don't think she's going to find any boys any time soon to rule with her, though, lad, so you'll have to pick up the slack on finding sons. When it's time for that," Fergus added with a chuckle. "No need to rush anything. I think we learned that with Merida, too. Now, do you want to help me convince the cook to bake us a snack before we sit to supper?"

At his son's nod, Fergus changed direction to the kitchens.

\---

"She's so much like her father," Elinor said, before gently swatting one of the triplets' hands away from her loom.

"Stubborn is a very polite way of putting it, to be honest," she said, letting her hands do the weaving while she talked. "Fergus was very certain that he was going to have me as his wife and queen, and he wasn't going to take my no as his answer. He kept trying to show me how strong he was, how swift, how smart, as if he couldn't accept that I could do many of the things he did, and then do them better. I had already entertained suitors who were sure the only way to win my heart was through feats of valor, and I was already quite sure that I wouldn't be marrying anyone who thought having the finest sword in the land was the right way to me."

"I don't actually know if it was strategy or happenstance, but one day, I was running behind from one of my lessons, and I saw Fergus out with my youngest brother at the archery range, teaching him how to shoot better. At the time, my brother wasn't much older than you. What I saw then was a man who was patient and kind, who could teach small children and encourage them without getting frustrated or berating them for being small and not understanding immediately."

Elinor sighed a little wistfully.

"Merida will be able to lead and rule when she learns to slow down and not dash headlong into every situation. Much like Fergus, when she isn't all riled up, she makes better and wiser decisions. If we can teach her patience, then she'll be fine."

Elinor swatted away the triplet's hand again.

"If you want to put your hand on something," she said exasperatedly, "go bother the cook. I'm sure she would love to have you underfoot. Out!"

\---

"Neither of them," Merida said very firmly, nocking another arrow and checking to make sure that the triplet talking to her didn't have a bow of his own in his hands. "Everyone wants to say that I'm Fergus' or Elinor's daughter, and it's plain to see, but I'm not like them." She raised her bow and shot down the alleyway, striking a little above the bullseye.

"Da and Mum have always been good at everything they do! They don't ever have to try a hundred times to get the arrow to shoot straight, or stab themselves with needles or knives before they learn how to carve, or knit, or anything else. They don't put runs in their socks, they don't make dresses that are lopsided, and they never seem to get angry, except at me! And you," she said, acknowledging the triplets' tendencies to get themselves in bigger trouble together that she could achieve by herself.

"They're perfect in every way, and they've been that way since they were kids," she said, letting another arrow fly straight to the bullseye. "There's no way I could be either of their children, with as much as I've already done wrong."

After a couple more arrows, Merida looked behind her.

"You're still here? Shouldn't you be bothering the cook for an afternoon snack about now?" she said.

Realizing he wasn't going to get anything more from her, and thinking that a snack would be a good idea right about now, the triplet departed.

\---

"They don't agree at all," one of them said.

"So annoying," another agreed.

"How are we supposed to know which parent we take after most?" the third griped, the other two nodding.

"Someone has to know."

"I'll bet Grandmother Woodcarver knows."

The other two looked at him.

"Well, she helped Merida," he finished, before going back to his snack.

"That's a good idea," another declared. "Maybe we can even ask her to turn us back into bears for a little while."

All three nodded at this idea.

"That was fun."

"I agree."

"To Grandmother Woodcarver's, then."

"How do we get there?"

"I'm sure we'll find a way. There's got to be a horse that can take all of us, right?"

"And we'll have to make sure nobody notices we're gone."

"It's decided. Meet back here tomorrow with your best ideas."

The triplets scattered to gather intelligence and plan their next move, leaving plenty of mess behind for the cook to notice and clean.

In her opinion, loudly voiced when she discovered what they'd left behind, they were all very clearly Merida's brothers, and that was final.


End file.
